Water abrasive suspension cutting system and method for water abrasive suspension cutting

Abstract

A water-abrasive suspension cutting facility (1) includes a high-pressure source (3) for providing (301) water at a high pressure, a high-pressure conduit (5) which is connected to the high-pressure source (3) and a pressure tank (11) for providing (303) an abrasive agent suspension (13) which is at a high pressure. The pressure tank (11) is fluid-connected to the high-pressure conduit (5) via a regulatable throttle (17). The throttle (17) is arranged at the entry side of the pressure tank (11) and is configured to regulate the feed flow into the pressure tank (11) from the high-pressure conduit (5) in dependence on at least one control variable.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A water-abrasive suspension cutting facility, comprising:
 a high-pressure source for providing water at a high pressure; 
 a high-pressure conduit connected to the high-pressure source; 
 a pressure tank for providing an abrasive agent suspension, the abrasive agent suspension being at the high pressure, wherein the high-pressure conduit branches into an auxiliary line through which a share of water in the high-pressure conduit is led through the pressure tank; 
 a refilling valve arranged above the pressure tank for continuously or sequentially refilling the pressure tank with abrasive agent; 
 an exit nozzle connected to the high-pressure conduit for the water under high pressure to exit from the exit nozzle in a jet at a very high speed; 
 a regulatable throttle arranged at the auxiliary line of the high-pressure conduit; and 
 an ultrasonic or optical sensor for providing a signal comprising at least one filling level of abrasive agent in the pressure tank, the pressure tank being fluid-connected to the auxiliary line of the high-pressure conduit via the regulatable throttle, wherein the regulatable throttle is configured to adjust a share of the abrasive agent suspension in the jet by throttling a throughput quantity in the auxiliary line of the high-pressure conduit and thereby regulating a feed flow into the pressure tank from the high-pressure conduit based on at least one control variable, wherein the at least one control variable comprises a temporal change of the at least one filling level, wherein the at least one control variable further comprises a speed and/or a power consumption or electricity consumption of the high-pressure source. 
 
     
     
       2. A water-abrasive suspension cutting facility according to  claim 1 , wherein a shut-off valve is arranged upstream or downstream of the regulatable throttle. 
     
     
       3. A water-abrasive suspension cutting facility according to  claim 2 , wherein the shut-off valve is configured to shut off the pressure tank from the high-pressure conduit based on at least one sensor signal. 
     
     
       4. A water-abrasive suspension cutting facility according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one control variable further comprises a sensor signal and/or an operating parameter of the high-pressure source. 
     
     
       5. A water-abrasive suspension cutting facility according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one control variable further comprises an abrasive agent flow out of the pressure tank or a parameter which is characteristic of an abrasive agent flow out of the pressure tank. 
     
     
       6. A water-abrasive suspension cutting facility according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 another ultrasonic or optical sensor for providing a signal comprising at least another filling level of the abrasive agent in the pressure tank, wherein the at least one control variable further comprises a time difference between the at least one filling level and the at least another filling level. 
 
     
     
       7. A water-abrasive suspension cutting facility according to  claim 1 , further comprising an abrasive agent flow sensor arranged at an exit side of the pressure tank, wherein the at least one control variable further comprises an abrasive agent flow which is provided as a signal by the abrasive agent flow sensor. 
     
     
       8. A method for water-abrasive suspension cutting, the method comprising the steps:
 providing water at a high pressure in a high-pressure conduit by a high-pressure source; 
 providing an abrasive agent suspension which is at a high pressure in a pressure tank; 
 continuously or sequentially refilling the pressure tank with abrasive agent via a refilling valve arranged above the pressure tank; 
 leading a share of water in the high-pressure conduit via an auxiliary line of the high-pressure conduit through the pressure tank; 
 cutting a material by a high-pressure jet which at least partly comprises the abrasive agent suspension, amid removal of the abrasive agent suspension out of the pressure tank; and 
 adjusting a share of the abrasive agent suspension in the jet by throttling a throughput quantity in the auxiliary line of the high-pressure conduit and thereby regulating a feed flow into the pressure tank out of the high-pressure conduit by a regulatable throttle based on at least one control variable, wherein the regulating is effected in dependence on a temporal change of a filling level of abrasive agent in the pressure tank, wherein the filling level is provided as a signal by an ultrasonic or optical sensor, wherein regulating the feed flow is further effected based on a speed or power consumption or electricity consumption of the high-pressure source. 
 
     
     
       9. A method according to  claim 8 , wherein regulating the feed flow is further effected based on a sensor signal and/or an operating parameter of the high-pressure source. 
     
     
       10. A method according to  claim 9 , wherein regulating the feed flow is further effected based on an abrasive agent flow out of the pressure tank. 
     
     
       11. A method according to  claim 8 , wherein regulating the feed flow is further effected based on a time difference between the filling level of abrasive agent in the pressure tank and another filling level of abrasive agent in the pressure tank, wherein the another filling level is provided as a signal by another ultrasonic or optical sensor. 
     
     
       12. A method according to  claim 8 , wherein regulating the feed flow is further effected based on an abrasive agent flow, wherein the abrasive agent flow is provided as a signal by an abrasive agent flow sensor, the abrasive agent being arranged at an exit side of the pressure tank.